The relationship between wholesale optical laboratories and independent eyecare practices is truly symbiotic. Labs depend on the support of their independent customers for their existence. Independent practices need labs for a variety of reasons. The most basic reason is to process their Rx lens orders and provide technical support. But many practices rely on their lab, or labs, for much more. That includes purchases of everything from spectacle lenses, contact lenses, frames, sunwear, supplies and even exam equipment. And many labs offer educational programs and materials for eyecare practitioners and their staff, an increasingly important function in today’s competitive eyewear and eyecare industry.

Our 2023 Wholesale Lab Usage Survey looks at labs through the eyes of independent eyecare professionals, 227 of them, to be exact. We’ve selected some of the most useful nuggets of information from this wide-ranging survey. For example, you’ll learn how many labs our survey respondents do business with, how much business ECPs plan to do in the coming year, their reasons for selecting a lab and much more. The complete findings are available from Jobson Optical Research’s Jennifer Waller at [email protected].

–Andrew Karp